Newspaper gets it right on wildfire

Jun 8, 2009

Smoke from Trapper Ridge Fire. Photo by John McCarthy.

The Daily Courier in Prescott, Az., published two pieces last week that could not make for better guides on how the press should cover the role wildfires play in improving the health of our forests and our communities.

Though it’s often a difficult concept to explain because people are understandably wary of wildfires, the truth is that some wildfires that don’t threaten people or property can actually be good things.

The Daily Courier reported on June 4 that Forest Service officials are not opting for the knee-jerk reaction of trying to suppress a wildfire in a remote area of the Prescott National Forest. Instead, they are making use of clearer policy guidelines the agency issued recently that make it easier for on-the-ground fire managers to choose to monitor a fire that doesn’t threaten communities. That kind of a fire plays a key role in restoring forests and clearing out underbrush that could cause much bigger fires later.

According to the editorial, “That fear has lead to an imbalance in the ecosystem and brought about the need for prescribed burns which help remove dead vegetation, invigorate plant and animal communities, promote a healthy watershed and return fire to its natural role in the ecosystem. These burns also reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire.”

Fire isn’t a panacea for all of our forest woes and safeguarding lives remains job one. But the more the media moves away from sensational coverage of wildfires that don’t pose danger to communities, the better the public’s knowledge of wildfire’s natural role in the environment will be. That means more support for smart fire management and better prospects for more healthy forests — and fewer firefighters putting their lives at risk.